"Yes. Luo here was a bit reckless; he said he wanted to go outside but had nothing prepared. So I accompanied him while I patrolled around." Luna favored me! Of course, I would make the most of it.
"Well, sorry for that." I managed a half-smile while rubbing the back of my neck. "I didn''t mean to trouble you."
"It is fine. I''d rather not see you out there without what you need. It is not ideal, but someone must ensure you are safe."
Cecil''s eyes narrowed as she listened to Luna''s gentle, almost protective tone toward me. Even now, her gaze moved from me to Luna before returning to me again. She seemed to want to assess something further? Or perhaps she had just realized something.
If that was the case, I would continue pushing forward; I smiled a somewhat forced one. "I''d do more if I could. Just... I don''t have enough money to buy anything."
Cecil appeared to take this in, her expression changing slightly. She looked down, her usual guardedness giving way to an uneasiness. "Uh. Right. I didn''t consider that. I suppose it didn''t cross my mind that the lack of support would strain both of you..."
See, Cecil? If you''d just helped a little, maybe things would have been easier for everyone, thanks to the Social Obligation I created in my previous scenario.
"Perhaps I should have offered some assistance sooner." Her eyes went straight to me. Then, her attention went to Luna. "But he is okay?"
"Ah..." Luna paused as if considering something before continuing, "Luo got attacked while I was distracted. Thankfully, he was okay, as you can see. But I ended up losing track of the attacker."
Cecil''s attention shifted to me. "So Luna helped you, but in return, the attacker escaped?"
Oh, how evil of you, Luna. You told her the truth but kept your cards closed, requiring me to explain further but with a lie if I wanted to stay safe. So you were asking me to handle this all alone, huh? Fine. I admit you were good at maintaining transparency and ambiguity at the same time. You won. At least I was grateful you played along; I would reward you a little.
"Hahaha, well, yeah? You see... Luna so attentive. Even followed me here so I wouldn''t get lost or encounter any more trouble. Such kindness is rare, don''t you think?"
When Cecil listened to my "story," she slowly nodded. "I see... That is very like her. Always looking out for others."
The object of our conversation (Luna) chuckled softly, albeit by covering her mouth to avoid being noticed by Cecil, who was facing me.
''Yeah, yeah. Laugh all you want, girl.''
But, on the outside, I was still smiling like this. At least until Cecil slapped my thigh. "So, where is it? Did you gather the stuff?"
Tsk!
If she touched me again, I''d 100% kick her!
For now, though, I let it slide, as I need to maintain the image that had been created.
"Oh, wait..." I took the items from my [Inventory] and presented them on Cecil''s workbench. "Five bottles of [Enchanted Water] and two stems of [Solvent Flower], as requested."
Cecil''s eyes sparkled as she examined it with excitement. But then, the twinkle was replaced with a frown; she looked at me while putting her hands on her waist. "Stem too small!"
''An expected response.''
I replied with a slight smile. "Isn''t it the size that Senior requested? You said I should look for one the size of your inch. So here, try comparing it yourself."
Momentarily taken aback by my claim, Cecil glanced at Luna as she sought some help...? Luna, however, remained neutral; her expression was unreadable, leaving Cecil to verify it herself.
With a huff, Cecil took one stem. Tried to compare it with her own hand—Oh? She wasn''t going to? Because she ended up silent. Her head lowered, and I could see from her chubby cheeks that her upper lip was slightly protruding. Yeah. Aware of that? Your hand was too damn small. Who would design an NPC working in Vaughan to have a body as short as a nine-year-old?
Even her body size was a problem for herself because if she validated my words, she would admit her hands were indeed too small. And it wasn''t what she wanted, resulting in this scenario of her hesitation. This lingered for a moment longer before she finally raised her head, and the earlier irritation seemed to melt into a pained acceptance.
"It is correct," Cecil muttered almost inaudibly as if she were having an internal debate instead of talking with me.
Still holding the stem, she turned her attention back to her workbench, mumbling something about having to make do with what was provided. She obviously wasn''t entirely satisfied, but at least she was willing to move forward.
My gaze briefly met Luna''s; I could see a glint in her eyes, which indicated a slight amusement at the whole situation.
"Alright then," Cecil finally said, a bit more loudly. "With these materials, I can proceed with the experiment. It is a simple potion. But crucial for my research on enhancing conductivity in organic materials. So, thank you for this."
Ding!
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 90%; border-color: rgba(35, 111, 161, 1); border-style: double" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; text-align: center" colspan="2">
Congratulations!
Side Quest: The Essence of Research Completed!
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="border-color: rgba(35, 111, 161, 1); border-style: double">
<td style="width: 50%; text-align: center">EXP received</td>
<td style="width: 50%; text-align: center">60</td>
</tr>
<tr style="border-color: rgba(35, 111, 161, 1); border-style: double">
<td style="width: 50%; text-align: center">Gold received</td>
<td style="width: 50%; text-align: center">150</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 90%; border-color: rgba(35, 111, 161, 1); border-style: double" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 49.0658%; text-align: center">Next to level 6:</td>
<td style="width: 49.0658%; text-align: center">118/560</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 49.0658%; text-align: center">Your current Gold:</td>
<td style="width: 49.0658%; text-align: center">2.250</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Other notifications also popped up, which, of course, I ignored as usual. Except for one...
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<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 99.0252%; text-align: center">You have shown mental robustness!</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 99.0252%; text-align: center">Mind Def +3</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 99.0252%; text-align: center">0/10 points to Grade E on Mind Def</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
I''d seen status updates similar to this in past Quests, like with Daniel or Chris. But here? I hadn''t expected that.
They said it was easier to increase Control Grade through strategic interaction with NPCs (discussing plans or negotiating), and this was proven now—the system apparently recognizes when I manage social dynamics to my advantage. But here, with Luna, from the very start, the stakes were different, as I needed to put extra effort into lying and "playing along."
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Hence, [Mental Defense] was what I got; the system seemed to pick up my awareness as if registering my efforts to anticipate all those subtle personal digs in our exchange (both to NPC and Player).
''Not bad. Most VRMMORPG track progress through objective metrics, but World: The Origin differs...''
When I looked through my notifications screen like this, Cecil suddenly spoke in a high tone. "You!"
I quickly closed everything. Raising my face, I found Cecil standing before me. Precisely. "Yes?"
Instead of answering, Cecil raised an eyebrow. Her head tilted left... right... and touched her chin. But her eyes kept glued to me. Was there something on me? There, I ended up feeling my own face out of reflex! After all, what the heck was that behavior?!
"Umm, what''s wrong?"
But Cecil merely shrugged and handed me something. "Take it. Next time, don''t trouble Luna again!"
Instead of taking it, I asked, "What is this?"
"What else? [Neurosync Dew], duh! You need to be prepared, don''t you? You can''t buy this coz no money, not to mention because of that kid. So take it before I change my mind!"
Finally... FINALLY!!!
''Mission accomplished!''
I quickly took it. "Thank you, Senior Cecil!''
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 90%; border-color: rgba(35, 111, 161, 1); border-style: double" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="border-color: rgba(35, 111, 161, 1); border-style: double">
<td style="text-align: center" colspan="5">Item Gained!</td>
</tr>
<tr style="border-color: rgba(35, 111, 161, 1); border-style: none">
<td style="border-style: none; text-align: center" colspan="5"> </td>
</tr>
<tr style="border-color: rgba(35, 111, 161, 1); border-style: double">
<td style="text-align: center" colspan="5">Neurosync Dew (Rare) x1</td>
</tr>
<tr style="border-color: rgba(35, 111, 161, 1); border-style: double">
<td style="text-align: center" colspan="5">
Consumable items
A potent potion designed to calm nerve synchronization. Once consumed, it grants the user immunity to all debuffs for 24 hours, paused when logging off.
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
''Whoa! No wonder this is much sought after by players!''
With as wide a smile as possible, I asked, "Do you need any more help, Senior Cecil?"
"Bleh! Just go already." And her lazy expression turned bright when she faced Luna. "Lunaaa, if you are free, don''t forget to stop by!"
Cecil''s dismissal of me was as good as an invitation to leave, so I just nodded in reply and kept this friendly smile on my face.
Luna, though, remained polite with her bow. "Yes, thank you, Senior Cecil. We will take our leave now."
As we exited Cecil''s lab, I took off my smiling face to normal. Ah... It felt sore somehow; I hadn''t pretended this much in a long time. I gently massaged the tip of my lips with my right hand.
While doing so, I walked lightly, and when I turned my head slightly to the side, Luna was still following me. Even when I exited the building, I could still feel Luna matching my pace as we moved through Vaughan''s footpaths.
How come?
For some reason, I thought of taking her to a dark, secluded place to see her reaction... But since this was in the game world and our levels were so different, it didn''t seem like it would accomplish anything.
I just muttered to her. "Thanks."
Surprisingly, I didn''t hear any reply from her. Whereas Luna was pretty cooperative before. Uh, was it possible she reevaluated her trust in me? Because it was clear what kind of person I was, right? Right?! From what had just happened. I glanced over—Ah! She was already so close to me and tilted her head while smiling! Quite surprising that I distanced myself from her a little. Particularly given her ambiguous smile, eyes closed, sweet, err...
I turned to look forward.
And that was where Luna talked. "You have improved, Luo. But you still ''slip'' a lot."
My steps came to an abrupt halt. I didn''t understand what Luna meant by "slip," which made me immediately try to figure out the meaning of her words. Was it when we lied to Cecil earlier? So I "slipped" because I hastily wanted to take advantage of the situation, circumstances, or even people—was that it? Or perhaps... going much further back? My foolish act of chasing the Glimmerstags?
It seemed like the latter, but to be sure, I asked as I faced her, "What do you mean?"
Luna shrugged lightly, with a subtle smile playing on her lips. "Nothing. Just an observation."
Could I be honest and say that I was... annoyed by it?
Not to Luna, really, as she, a more experienced player, proved to be very helpful, even willing to heed my flow when I tried to make Cecil favor me (although with the rest, I had to make an extra effort). The problem was what she said and how she said it... like she knew something I didn''t.
My mind ran in circles, dissecting her tone, her choice of words, even the half-smile she wore as she said it. Improved, she''d said, which meant she''d been watching, gauging, and keeping notes on my actions. But we only just met now? In the game! Then, slip, a word that could mean anything or nothing at all, only to make me second-guess myself. This wasn''t the first time she''d been ambiguous, but twice.
And Luna, as if noticing my unease, nodded toward the path leading from the central part of the courtyard, her face without expression though her voice was warm. "Come with me. There are several spots here that few people pay attention to; never a bad time for a recharge, anyway."
I raised an eyebrow in skepticism. Recharge? Her timing and word choice weren''t random. She had to be up to something, though I couldn''t quite say what. Still, my curiosity got the better of me, and I nodded. "Lead the way."
We left the bustling main grounds of Vaughan to quieter, more hidden areas of the academy that I''d never seen. It was surprisingly serene: narrow paths lined with stone walls covered in ivy, tucked away behind older buildings where few students (or players) ever bothered to go, as I see none.
We arrived at a tiny lawn surrounded by blossoming flowers. Half a dozen kids (likely NPCs) between the ages of four and seven were at its center, climbing around the bushes and chasing one another. Their faces were lit up with carefree joy. They were in a world all their own, free from all restraints of duty and responsibility that ruled the rest of the academy.
Luna paused—her hands neatly folded, gazing out at the children—her face creasing into a soft, gentle smile. "People often think being cold and calculating is impressive, even admirable. But I have always seen it as a silent plea for help when they know things will always go wrong... so they shut down, shut out. But no one deserves that. Everyone, even the most serious of us, should have moments where we are allowed to be silly, to laugh too loudly, to make mistakes. That is what freedom really is."
''You are talking nonsense.''
At least, that was what I wanted to say. Only, here I was, ending up silent, standing behind Luna with my body... feeling hot.
The kind of heat that felt like it was coming from something unspoken. I wondered why I felt self-conscious as if Luna was talking directly about me. Because she was, wasn''t she? Without looking at me, she knew... and saw the layers of what I wanted to hide inside me—feeling, mind, true intention. Or was I just worrying too much?
I meant, seriously, freedom? Why did Luna say that to me? Did she think that could ever apply to me? To someone who had traded "all" to feel safe?
Part of me wanted to laugh it off as her words were naive. But instead, I found myself standing there, torn between worry and... something else. A curiosity, perhaps? I wonder if she knew something about me, such as why I had this VR:Scanner, I could forget, or even... my past. And if she did know, why hadn''t she said anything else?
Her long but unelaborated words made me afraid to ask her directly about what she really wanted to say. On the one hand, I became curious and wanted to stick with her more.
Pretty contradictory, right?